Nail holding and positioning device



May 19,- 1953 L.'$ HARRIs NAIL HOLDING AND POSITIDNING DEVICE Filed April 6, 1951 L EW/J J. Herr/s INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented May 19, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NAIL HOLDING ANDPOSITIONING DEVICE Lewis S. Harris, Alta Loma, Tex.

Application April 6, 1951, Serial N 0. 219,582

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a nail holding and positioning device, and more particularly to a device for holding a nail in position to be driven in a desired location, and by which the nail may be positioned and started at the desired angle without holding the same in the fingers.

The invention has for its chief object the provision of a tool adapted to grasp and hold a nail or similar fastening, whereby the same may be held in the desired :pOSition in inaccessible places,

which is readily operable to receive a nail to beheld, and from which the nail is easily released when started. v

A further object of the invention is to provide a nail starter having nail holding means adapted to securely hold a nail in position for driving, and to guide and maintain a. driving member in contact with the head of the nail to assure that the nail will be started and driven straight in the desired direction.

A still further object-of the invention is the provision of a nail starter of simple design and rugged construction, capable of withstanding the hard usage and rough treatment to which such a tool is likely to be subjected.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will best be understood from the following detailed description, constituting a specification of the same, when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings, where- Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the invention, showing the same with a nail in position to be driven;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction. indicated by the arrows;

Figure 3 is a, cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view similar tothat of Figure 2, showing the invention in operation with a nail therein in started or partly driven- Figure 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view, similar to that of Figure 1, showing the invention in the same condition as illustrated in Figure 5 with a nail-therein in partly driven or started condition.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, wherein like numerals ofreference designate the same parts throughout the several views, the invention comprises a frame I0, preferably of generally tubular form, provided with means for releasably holding a nail with its pointed end extending beyond the frame, and also having a driving member l2 extending within the frame which is engageable with the head of the nail for driving the same.

The tubular frame is cut-away for a portion of its length to form spaced guides l4, between which the nail hOlding means is positioned. Carried between the guides l4, mediate the ends of the cut-away portion of the frame, there is a cup-like supporting member I6, which is secured to the guides by means of inwardly extending shouldered portions [8 on the guides to which the support is attached by welding or otherwise. This cup-like support l6 has a central opening 28 therethrough, which is preferably of square or polygonal shape, and through which the driving member I2 Works, said driving member having a shank portion [3 which is of a shape to correspond with the opening 20, so that the driving member is held against rotation in the support.

A resilient member 22 in the form of a coil spring is seated at its lower end in the sup-port l6, and is received at its upper end in a movable supporting member 24 also of cup-shape, positioned between the guides M, and which may also have ,a polygonal opening 26, corresponding to the shape of the shank of the driving member, which likewise extends through the opening. An operating member 28, which is of substantially H-shape, and between whose arms 30 the guides 14 are'received. is secured to the outside of the movable cup 24, inany suitable manner as by welding. Upon depression' of the operating member 28 the resilient member 22 may be compressed, thus moving the movable cup 24 toward the support I6. The operating member 30 is also provided with a central opening 32, as best seen in Figure 3, conforming to the shape of the shank of the driving member.

A pair of nail grasping elements which may take the form of fingers 34 extend through slotted opening 36 in the support It, and through the resilient member 22, and at their upper ends the fingers are formed with out-turned end portions 38, disposed within the movable cup 24, and

retained therein by a washer 40, which is engaged by the upper end of the resilient member. Thus, when the operating member 38 is depressed the resilient member 22 is compressed against the support I 6, and the fingers move downwardly through the slotted openings 38. The internal diameter of the movable cup 24 is somewhat less than the distance between the slotted openings 36, so that when the grasping fingers move downwardly they are automatically spread apart to receive the head of the nail 42, which is to be held in the starter.

At their lower ends, the grasping fingers 34 are formed with inturned portions 44, adapted to .engage beneath the head of a nail to securely hold the nail in position to be driven. Thegraspin-g fingers are also provided intermediate their ends with a widened portion forming shoulders '46 (Fig. 6), which engage the support l6, upon upward movement of the fingers, to limit such upward movement.

At its lower end the driving member [2x15 provided with a widened nail-driving head id-having a somewhat downwardly and inwardly tapered nail engaging end portion. The upper end of the driving member l2 may also be formed with an enlarged striking-head 52 adapted to be struck by a hammer, or other driving implement in operating the starter.

In making use of the tool as described above, the frame It may be held in the hand of the user and the operating member 31) depressed b the thumb or otherwise, until the grasping fingers 34 are spread apartpas best indicated in Figure 5 of the drawings. cated at '42 may then have its head inserted between the inwardly extending portions 44 of the fingers, and the operating member 3c is released. As soon as the operating member is released the resilient member 22 will urge the movable 0 p 24 away from the support [6, thus .raisingthe fingers and causing the inturned portions 44 to grasp the nail beneath its head. In this manner the nail 42 is firmly grasped and held in the frame with its point projecting outwardly thereof in position to be driven in the desired location (see Fig.2). It will also be seen that the enlarged nail-driving head 48 of the driving member engages the support l6, so that the head of the nail is held firmly in engagement with the driving end 58 of the driving member.

With the nail thus held in the starter, the same is then held by the operator with thepoint of the nail at the desired location, and by striking the head 52 of the driving member the nail can be started in place, or if desired may be completely driven in the desired location. Whenthe nail has been started in the desired location the starter may be withdrawn, and the head of the nail will expand the grasping fingers to release the nail therefrom.

It will thus be seen that the invention, as described above, provides a nail starter of simple design, which is efficient in operation, and by which nails of many different types may be conveniently held in inaccessible places for startin the same, or driving them fully into position. The invention also embodies a unitary tool, whose parts are inseparable, and therefore cannot become detached and mislaid, so that the starter is always ready for instant use.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with a specific embodiment of the same, it will be understood that this is intended by way of illustration only, and that numerous changes A nail, such as that indican be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A nail starter comprising a supporting frame, a driving member in the frame and movable longitudinally thereofpa support surrounding the driving member and fixed on the frame, means on the driving member engageable with the support to limit movement of the driving member one .directiona movable support on the frame movable toward and away from the fixed sup- .opposed nail gripping elements in the frame movable toward and away from each other and movable longitudinally of the frame, said ele- .ments being engageable with said fixed support to separate said elements upon movement of said movable support toward said fixedsupport and tomove said elements toward each other-upon movement oithemovable support in said one direction .away. from said fixed support, yieldable means between thesupportsand urging the movable support in said one direction to move said elements toward-each other into gripping engagement with a nail positioned. between said elements to hold the nail in theframe in drivin contact with the driving member.

2. A nail starter comprising a supporting frame of generallytubularconfi-guration having portions cut away mediate its ends and forming spaced guides, a driving member movable longitudinally in the frameand having a driving head disposed between the guides, a fixed support between the guides and through which the driving .member passes, said driving head being engage able with the fixed supportto limit movement of the driving member in onedirection, a movable support between the guides and movable toward and away from the fixed support, opposed nail gripping elements .carried .by the movable support betweenthe guides forlongitudinal movement with the movable-support in the frame and engageable with the fixed support to separate the elements upon movement of the movable support said-one direction .awa from the fixed support, and to move the elements toward each other into gripping engagement with .a nail positioned between said elements-togrip and hold the nail in driving contactiwi-th said driving head, resilient means carried by the .frame between the guides and engageable with said supports. to yieldingly'urge the movable support away from the fixed support.

3. A nailstarter comprising a supporting frame of generally tubular configuration having portions cut away mediate its ends and farming spaced guides, a driving member movable longitudinally in the' frame and having a'driving head disposed between the guides, a fixed support on said guides through which said driving member passes, a'movableisupport on the guides and movable toward and away from the fixed support, opposed nail gripping elements carried by the movable support between the guides for longitudinal movement with said-movable support in the frame, said elements being engageable with thefixed support to separate the elements upon movement of the movable support toward the fixed support and to move the elements toward each other upon movement of the movable support away from the'fixedsupport, .resilient'means carriedby'the :frame "between the guides and .en-

gageable with the supports to yieldingly urge said movable support away from said fixed support and said elements toward each other to engage and hold a nail in theirame between said elements and in contact with said driving head.

4. A nail starter comprising a supporting frame, a driving member movable longitudinally in the frame and a driving head, a support surrounding the driving member and fixed on the frame, a movable support on the frame and movable toward and away from the fixed support, opposed nail grasping elements in the frame and connected to said movable member for movement therewith, said elements being engageable with said fixed support to separate said elements upon movement of the movable support toward the fixed support and to move said elements toward each other upon movement of said movable sup port away from said fixed support, resilient means between the supports and yieldably urging said driving head.

LEWIS S. HARRIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,152,260 Anderson Aug. 31, 1915 1,726,012 Bilz Aug. 2'7, 1929 

